It’s funny how childhood scheduling conditions the American youth into believing summer is the best season. As a kid, nothing could ever beat summer break. The congested fall/winter/spring of learning and running around and holidays and doing things only to be released into the wild for 3 months of chaotic bliss. Years pass, and there comes a day where we each walk outside to a blistering wet heat and say to ourselves “yeah this actually sucks.” You know when it’s less hot? Fall. You know when it looks the most beautiful outside? Fall. You know when we get to spend the most time celebrating and being with family? Fall. You know when football is on our TVs? You guessed it. Why did I bring this up again? Ah that’s right... our story began in the Fall of 2022. It was the best time of the year and Priyanka and I lived exactly two miles apart. Priyanka had transitioned seamlessly into her post-grad professional life. She graduated with honors and cum laude and whatever it is that earns you all those nifty necklaces at the graduation ceremony. She accepted her position as a Solutions Architect at AT&T, and Atlanta welcomed her with open arms. She moved into a high-rise Atlanta apartment with her friend Kate, and it didn’t take long for them to find a group of fun-loving young people in their building. While she was over there living out the plot of Friends, I was mastering Fifa. Lots and lots of Fifa. I was chilling in my parents’ basement after graduation. While Priyanka was weighing her options as a young professional, I was deciding between podcasts. While she was wrapping up class, I was wrapping up a bourbon glass. We all have different timelines, and it’s probably not a coincidence that I was a little bit older when we found ourselves in the same position in life. You could say I was a Solution that needed Architecting. Eventually I emerged from hibernation though and got a nice little townhouse with some buddies! Covid lockdown was over, leaves were falling, football was on our TVs, beer was in our cups. We’d both been single for years at this point, and we were in a great position to meet someone special. The only problem? We weren’t aware of each other’s existence. Enter the dreaded dating app. Type, type, type. Swipe, swipe, swipe - woah! A photo of Priyanka smiling in a floral dress that I’ll never forget. I doubt she’ll respond but let me say hello. It was my lucky day. Next thing you know, I had a date. Play it cool, play it cool, that’s what I kept telling myself.

Our first date together was at Northside Tavern. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a dive bar in West Midtown. In retrospect, could I have taken her somewhere nicer? Sure, yeah. Was it a mistake though? I don’t think so! By mindlessly suggesting a seemingly cool bar to meet for a drink (I hadn’t been to Northside Tavern), she chuckled to herself knowing that we were going to a popular Midtown bar at 5 pm when nobody else would be there. I was unknowingly building a foundation of spontaneity and self-deprecation that’s going to last us a lifetime. Sometimes the universe works in your favor. Anyway... I don’t know if “love at first sight” exists, but I can tell you that we enjoyed each other’s company instantaneously. After she sufficiently made fun of me, we floated across the street for one last drink at the Holiday Bar before reluctantly saying farewell. I knew I had to raise the bar a little bit after our first date, so there was an Italian dinner or two that came after that. I tried reminding myself that a healthy amount of “playing hard to get” might be my best move. Instead, I asked for a second date hours after our first concluded. I kept falling upward though. Something was working. A few dates/hangouts had passed, and Priyanka was all I could think about. Priyanka is a bright light of a human being. Each space that she occupies on this Earth has been better off having experienced her presence. She makes life look easy. I continued to tell myself to relax... continued to downplay this chemistry in my own head... but I could tell she was feeling the same things. How could we be falling head over heels for somebody so fast? Best not to get your hopes up... it’s probably too good to be true. There was a Saturday though when I remember thinking to myself “This is it. You both know it.” Instead of dates and coordinated hangouts trying to impress one another, this time we were both free on a Saturday and we simply woke up deciding we wanted to spend the day together. I met her in Midtown, and we just started walking down to Piedmont Park where I’m writing about our story right now. We spent the whole day together, and we just loved being together. It was an indescribably happy and peaceful day, and we’ve been living it ever since. One thing that Priyanka and I share: We both have so many amazing people in our lives. We could not be luckier in that way. It’s something that’s easy to take for granted when you’re younger. Now, it’s an emotional thing to think about. Our families and friends mean everything to us, and we’ve enjoyed turning our respective Venn diagrams of people into a circle over the past 3 years. If anyone is still reading this, know that it will be an honor and a privilege to have you there with us on our big day! Cheers, Will